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How many times have you said these words – “I don’t have time to do
this!” or “I was going to get around to doing that but I ran out of
time!” Time is a valuable commodity for everyone and small business
owners are no exception.
There are certain tasks that all of us simply shudder at the thought of
doing. For some business owners it might be the financial aspect of the
business i.e. accounting and bookkeeping, or it could be answering
emails or preparing letters of proposal to potential clients. We all
have tasks that take up our valuable time and when we’re first starting
out, we tend to do it all. But, is it really worth our time to do
everything and risk doing some of these things badly? Sometimes we need
to take a step back and reconnect with our goals for our businesses and
focus on whether it is worth our time to be doing “everything”, or is it
time to be considering outsourcing some of the daily tasks.
Let’s take answering emails and producing letters of proposal. (Yes,
this is a direct plug for my business!) First of all, consider how much
actual time you spend checking and answering emails and sitting in front
of a blank page in Microsoft Word trying to come up with the right words
to win over that customer. Here’s an example of how much your time is
worth and how much of your worth (or potential sales), you may be losing
by doing it yourself.
Let’s say that you charge $60.00/hr. for your services/time and it takes
you on average 5 hours a week to answer those emails and write letters.
5 hours x $60.00/hr. = $300.00 of your valuable time and profit
Now, if you were to outsource that same amount of time to a trained
professional, here is what it might cost you (depending on the complexity and task) -
5 hours x $ 25.00/hr. =
$125.00
$300.00 - $ 125.00 = $175.00 savings to your business plus add
any additional money you may have made by signing contracts with your customers while a trained virtual assistant took care of your
administrative tasks.
Although you are spending money to outsource areas of your business, you
are in fact gaining additional revenue in the process, as well as having
some of the burden of running your business more efficiently taken off
your shoulders.
For a fun way to find out how much your time is really worth, I
recommend that you go to
http://www.businessknowhow.net/bkh/timeprice.htm and fill in their quick survey to calculate the actual worth of your time.
And while you’re taking that survey, I’ll be spending my time here in my
office, answering your emails and creating winning letters of proposal to your prospective clients.
Makes sense to me.
Are you an introvert? Someone who tends to feel absolutely paralyzed at the thought
of meeting new people? Do your hands get cold and clammy and your heart
race 100 miles an hour at the mere thought of attending a networking
event? How can you network successfully if you feel faint at the mere
thought of having to walk up to a stranger and introduce yourself and
state what business you’re in?
When I started my business I was told that most new entrepreneurs have to cultivate their
business, and in order to grow their client base they need to “network”.
So what exactly is networking? How do you acquire the skills to do this
effectively? Most people can learn to network better over time with
practice and ease so for now let’s just look at a few of the basic
“how-to’s” to get started on networking both yourself and your business.
Consider this article your free “Virtual ‘bytes’" of wisdom.
- Smile! No one wants to be
greeted by a person whose face gives off the impression that
they've just lost their favorite pet! A warm, welcoming
smile (not those fake or phony grimaces either!), will show
the person you are greeting that you are indeed pleased to
make their acquaintance. I was once taught in a telephone
answering seminar that you should always smile before saying
hello when answering calls, as your smile even carries
through the earpiece. Being friendly costs nothing and your
genuine self will win over any hardened potential customer.
- Get your “elevator” speech introduction down pat! It’s been said that you only have
only 15 seconds to introduce yourself and what you do so you
had better have a clear, concise opening introduction or
else you’ll lose their attention. I’ve had trouble with this
one in the past because the term ‘virtual assistant’ is a
relatively new one for most people and I need to educate
them on the “what is” part of my business first. Once I’ve
determined that they’re interested in learning more, then I
can explain in greater detail what services I have to offer
them.
- Listen! I know… this sounds so easy
to do, but it’s almost impossible to listen and talk at the
same time unless you’re a ventriloquist. In fact, if you
aren’t paying attention to both the body language and the
words that the other person is saying, you might miss some
key points that you can use to determine whether or not this
person is actually in need of your services. What questions
are they asking you? Is their business one that might
require your services? Do they seem open to the possibility
of doing business with you? You will know within the first
few minutes of conversation whether they’re a “fit” for you
or not. Just pay attention and listen to what they have to
say and then respond accordingly.
- Follow through! If they ask you for
additional information or request that you contact them at a
later date, then you’d best follow through. Forgetting to
get back to a potential first-time client is a certain kiss
of death to that sale. A quick thank you call or follow up
email will show them that you are interested in conducting
business with them and will make a lasting impression.
- Just breathe! Learning to relax and
enjoy the opportunity of meeting new people is crucial to
becoming a great networking person. I’ve never heard of
anyone being beaten to a pulp at any social networking
function I’ve ever attended just because they weren’t adept
at speaking. Always be open-minded and maintain a certain
curiosity about all the people you meet. After all, they’re
attending the same function with most likely the same
purpose in mind that you have – to find potential new
clients and interact with other business people.
I could go on and on about other points to observe while trying to effectively network
your business but I have to draw the line somewhere. Besides, I have to
go answer some email inquiries from potential clients myself, since I’m
“networking” virtually these days!>J
To read other past articles by Marlene,
visit the Newsletter Archive Page
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